But Now What?
by and.we.run
Summary: When things suddenly go from movications to making out in Jesse's dorm, Beca's instinct to run hits her full force. Will she be able to resist the need to run, or will she end up pushing Jesse away yet again?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: HEY GUYS! So it's been a while. And I changed my username and deleted all of my stories so none of you probably remember me but that's okay. So Ive been having major Pitch perfect feels since the trailer came out for the second one and I felt like writing so here we are. I'm sorry this is so short but it's 11pm and I have school tomorrow and I have a HELLA bad cold, so yeah. I'm kinda like way stressed right now, but I will try to update and write as much as possible. (It should be easier once Christmas break rolls around.) okay, that's all! Enjoy :) (also I wrote this on my phone so sorry for any mistakes.)**

It wasn't like they hadn't talked, they had. They had texted each other at least once a day throughout the summer, but that wasn't the same as seeing each other in person. To make matters worse, Beca was sick. Her cheeks were flushed and her nose was pink, making her look way less badass than she would've liked.

What was she supposed to do when she saw him? Like actually saw him, face to face for the first time since they kissed that one night. They'd both ended up being dragged away by their groups, and by the time Beca was actually ready to leave in the morning for summer, she couldn't find Jesse anywhere. And so here she was, scared out of her mind, back at University for her second year at Barden, totally unprepared to see Jesse.

What were they even supposed to do when they saw each other? Was he going to kiss her? How gross would that be for him, with her having to blow her nose every five seconds. But then again, she kind of really did want to kiss him. She had missed him. A lot.

Beca had watched The Breakfast Club more times than she was willing to admit over the summer when she missed him a little bit more than usual. And maybe she'd also thought about the kiss. Maybe it didn't mean anything, maybe they were just both caught up in the moment. But she knew that wasn't true. The sexual tension between them had been obvious to everyone, then the kiss happened, and then nothing.

What if things were awkward now? They hadn't gotten a chance to talk, not that Beca would've wanted to if they had had the chance, they hadn't even really gotten a chance to say anything after they kissed. It was like their lips were apart for a second, and then they were being pulled away from each other.

"Hi! Welcome to Barden University! My name's..." The same blonde from last year rambled on, telling Beca about her dorm and rape whistle. "Yeah, thanks," she half smiled, before disappearing into a coughing fit.

This is where she saw Jesse for the first time. He lip synced to her from his parents car. Where was the nerd, anyways, Beca wondered as she headed towards the dorms. Her key was on a bright yellow wrist band hanging from her wrist, her headphones around her neck.

Her room was on the fourth floor, number 413. She apparently didn't have to share this year due to a lack of acceptances or something, which she was stoked about. Just as she was about to turn the lock, she heard an all too familiar voice saying "hey Million Dollar Baby." Jesse.

"Hey, Nerd." She grinned back at him.

"Here, I heard you were sick, so I brought you this," his eyes were wide with child-like wonder as he handed her a juice pouch and his Breakfast Club DVD. "You're so lame," she teased, opening to door to her dorm to let them both in.

"And you sound adorable when you have cold," he shrugged, plopping himself on her unmade bed.

"Help me unpack, or get out," she said, purposely ignoring the adorable comment.

"Fine, fine," he sighed. "Where do we start?"

[LINE BREAK]

After about two hours, Beca's dorm was mostly unpacked. Her mixing equipment was all set up on her desk, her array of pillows piled on her bed. "So, Becaw, how does it feel to be the Bellas leader?" Jesse asked as they sat cross-legged on her bed, some movie he provided playing in front of them, though neither of them were paying attention.

"I think you should be asking 'hey, Beca, how does it feel to know you're going to kick my ass again this year,'" she smiled, nudging him playfully with her elbow.

"Don't get too cocky, the Trebles are back and better than ever."

"Please, you know we're way better than you."

"Are not."

"Yes, Jesse. We are."

"No way."

"Yes," she shoved him jokingly, and he shoved her back a little too forcefully, sending them both sprawling onto her mattress, Jesse hovering over her slightly, their faces inches apart.

"Definitely not." He spoke softly, before pressing his lips to hers.

"You're going to get sick," she mumbled into the kiss.

"Shut up."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: hey guys! So I'm home from school sick currently, so I figured I'd write for a bit. Tbh I have no idea where this story is really going, but hey, I'm just rolling with it. I was gunna write the audition for this chapter but then I was laying on the floor in dance and I had a different idea. Okay that's all, enjoy!**

**[**LINE** BR**EAK]

There was no difficulty trying to get people to join the Bellas this year. During the activity fair, Beca and Fat Amy were manning the table, and Chloe and Stacie were on flyer duty. "What's up with you, you look awfully happy for a sick person," Amy inquired, grinning at the girls who were writing their names on the audition list.

"Nothing, it just feels good to be back." It wasn't exactly a lie, because it did feel good to be back at Barden, but it wasn't the whole truth either. The whole making out and eating pizza with Jesse was a factor as well, but Beca didn't want to tell the girls about that yet. For all she knew, it could've been a one-time (technically two time, she supposed) thing and every thing would be completely back to the way it was next time she saw him.

Stupid Jesse had weaselled his way in between the walls she'd spent so long putting up, and for now, she wanted to keep him to herself. "Be-caw!" She heard, called across the courtyard. Jesse was standing at the radio station sign up, waving her over.

"Can you hold down the fort for a second? I want to go sign up for the station internship again," Beca said, seeing Jesse standing at that exact booth. It didn't go unnoticed by Amy, where she was looking.

"Go for it, Twig Bitch," she said with a wink. The brunette walked quickly, her worn combat boots clicking with each step. "Hey, Awesome Nerd," she greeted with a grin.

"Hey, so I was thinking. You, me, radio station internship. And get this, we will even be allowed in the booth."

"I was allowed in the booth last year, you shit," she laughed, nudging him.

"That's only because Luke was, like, obsessed with you. It was kinda creepy."

"And you weren't?"

"Of course not," Jesse scoffed. "You in?"

"Sure." They both reached for the pen at the same time, their hands brushing, and Beca felt herself blush, which was so stupid. He'd seen her in her bra, and they had a hardcore make out session, but she couldn't even touch his hand without getting all flustered. She coughed awkwardly, both from being sick and for an excuse to move her hand and cover her mouth. "How are you feeling?" He asked, handing her the pen after nearly writing 'Jesse Swanson' on the paper.

"Mildly like I was run over by a bus," she shrugged, "but aside from that in good. Can you swing by my dorm after the activities fair, maybe? There's a new mix I want to run by somebody, and I figured you'd be a good person." Jesse was honoured that she was willing to share her music with him. That was her own personal thing, and the fact that he was the one she wanted to share it with made him happier than he would admit to her. "Yeah, I can do that," he smiled at her.

"I should probably get to back to the Bellas, Amy's getting swarmed," Beca laughed. "Don't forget to tell your new recruits you got your asses kicked by a bunch of girls last year, and you will again this year."

"Bye Bec," Jesse rolled his eyes.

"See you later."

[LINE BREAK]

"That was incredible, Bec," Jesse gushed after the track Beca was showing him finished.

"Thanks," she smiled, blushing slightly.

"So, you ready for the auditions?"

"Totally, me and the girls are stoked. I think it will be good that we will be Aubrey-less this year, we'll be able to have more fun with it. Also no more stupid rules."

"What, you didn't like the no Trebles rule? Because I personally thought it was pretty great," Jesse joked.

"Did you, now?" Beca smirked, "because I seem to recall someone was all too eager to kiss me in a crowded theatre."

"It was peer pressure, it would've looked bad to reject you in front of all those people," he taunted, and she rolled her eyes, swatting him with the back of her hand. "Speaking of peer pressure, my family wants to meet you." Beca's eyes widened instantly at that statement.

"They what?"

"I tried to tell them no, but they were so persistent. They were all 'who are you texting, Jesse?' 'Are you texting that girl again?' 'We have to meet her if you can't even put your phone down during dinner.' It wouldn't be that bad though, right?" He asked, helplessly.

"I'm not exactly bringing home to meet parents material, Jesse."

"Sure you are, they'd love you." She scoffed at that and rolled her eyes. Parents weren't exactly her thing.

Whenever her boyfriends, not that Jesse was her boyfriend, because he wasn't, brought her to meet their parents, it didn't go well. She could tell they were judging her, whether it was for her mostly black outfit, or ear spike, she didn't know, but when she walked past them in the kitchen, she could hear them whispering about her. "C'mon Million Dollar Baby, how bad could it go?"

"Very." Jesse rolled his eyes at her negativity.

"We have a lot of juice pouches at their house. Like, tons."

"Juice pouches? Really?!" She feigned excitement.

"Really."

"No."

"Just think about it? For me? Please?"

"Fine. I'll consider it, Nerd. But not for you, for the juice pouches."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: this chapter is hella short, I apologize. I'm still home sick, so that's gross. Anyways, I didn't have much inspiration for the chapter, but things will get interesting soon, I promise! Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I appreciate it!

[LINE BREAK]

"Alright Nerds, go for it!" Beca grinned, sending the hoard of Bellas off into the amphitheatre where the initiation party for all the newbies was happening. It felt so much better this year, knowing that the girls could do whatever (and whoever) they wanted without getting kicked out of the group. There were only three new girls, Alex, Katie, and Julia. Alex and Julia seemed great, but Beca had been wary of Katie. It wasn't that she couldn't sing, she seemed kind of bitchy towards the other girls. The other Bellas had voted her in though, and she wasn't about to say no. "Beca!" She heard Jesse's voice beside her.

"Drunk already?" She grinned.

"No," he scoffed, his words slightly slurred.

"You idiot. So, when are we visiting your parents?"

"You're coming?" He asked, seeming to sober up slightly at the question.

"It will get me away from the Step Monster if we go over the holidays, so if that's the case, then yes. And they don't think we're together, do they?"

"No. Well...my mom might, but not because I said that we were. Just the whole texting and kissing on national television thing." He shrugged.

"Right, that," she blushed at her feet. "Whatever, I'm in."

"You're the best," Jesse grinned, tossing his arm around her. "Let's go get you a drink."

"That sounds excellent."

[LINE BREAK]

After getting just slightly tipsy, Beca found herself stuck in the crowd of people dancing to some Arctic Monkeys song blaring over the speakers. "Hey, Beca, who is your friend over there?" Katie approached, yelling over the music and nodding in the direction of Jesse, who was talking animatedly to Benji.

"Jesse," she frowned. "Why?"

"Are you guys, like, together?" The blonde giggled, stumbling drunkenly in her heels.

"Me and Jesse? Ha, no."

"Good, he's kinda cute," she grinned, and Beca felt kind of jealous. Not that she should, or that she would ever admit it. It wasn't like they were dating, but they'd kissed, more than once, and she'd serenaded him with a song from The Breakfast Club.

"He's a good kisser, too," Beca shrugged, before leaving the new Bella gaping in the crowd. This would be an interesting year.

[LINE BREAK]

"I don't know what to do, man. I really want to tell her how I feel, but I'm scared that she'll shut me out again," Jesse told Benji, red Solo cups held tightly in both of their hands.

"I think you just need to tell her. I mean, it's obvious she likes you, too."

"But it's so hard with her, I never know how she's going to react."

"She's coming home to meet your parents, Jesse. Your parents. If she's agreed to that, I think you'll be okay."

"I just wish this wasn't so difficult," Jesse groaned, his eyes trained on the brunette dancing happily (and drunkenly) with the Bellas.

.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: hey folks! So, since I skipped over the auditions, and auditions are like a month into the school year in the movie, it is now the end of October in this story just so you know. Also, I have a ton of homework to catch up on because I've gone to school one full day this week, so I don't know how much time I'll have to write this weekend, but I will try). (It's been like two days and it's Sunday and I'm sorry I haven't posted but I'm drowning in science homework but please don't hate me) Don't forget to review and all that fun stuff :)

[LINE BREAK]

"Becky, Jesse, good to see you again," the pair heard Luke before they saw him at the radio station.

"Hi Luke," Beca greeted as Jesse said "hey man."

"Glad you two are here, I was just about to take my lunch break. Becky, you can take over the booth, Jesse do whatever, I don't really care. Just no sex on the desk."

Once Luke was out the door, Jesse and Beca made their way into the booth.

"So this one lets you pick the track, and this one is volume, and this one is for going on and off air." She explained, pointing at different controls. "I just play the music really, because I,"

"Hey Beca?" Jesse interrupted her. "I was the one who told Luke to listen to your tracks, just so you know. I just felt like I should tell you that."

"Oh," she frowned. "Thanks."

"Sorry," he apologized, not entirely sure what to say.

"No, it's...it's cool. Don't worry about it," she said, turning back to the computer screen.

"Hello?" They heard a voice call from the front of the station.

"Awesome," Beca muttered, knowing right away that the voice belonged to none other than Katie. "Hi," she said back, following Jesse out of the booth.

"Ooh, hi Jesse!" She grinned, using some time between a giggle and some weird attempt at seductive. Whatever it was, it made Beca shudder.

"Um, hey."

"So what are we doing?" The blonde asked, trying to push past the pair and into the booth.

"Sorry," Beca shrugged. "No freshman in the booth. You can however, take these CDs and sort them. And then you can stack them!" She faked enthusiasm. Katie rolled her eyes at the leader of the Bellas, followed by a wink at Jesse, grabbing the bin of CDs, and disappearing from the booth.

"Did that make last year's experience a little less painful?" He chucked, the two of them flopping back into the chairs in the booth.

"Definitely," she grinned, before preparing to continue to teach Jesse the basics of the booth.

[LINE BREAK]

"Why is it so cold," Beca groaned as her and Jesse made their way across campus to their dorms at 11:23pm that night.

"Because it's late at night in October?" Jesse offered, as he moved to take off his sweater. "Here," he handed it to her.

"You're going to freeze."

"No I won't, I'll be fine. This is a long sleeved shirt, you're wearing a tank top and a cardigan, you idiot."

"Ugh," she groaned, taking the dark blue hoodie and pulling it over her head. It was warm from the heat of his body, and it smelt like him. Laundry detergent and mint. She was swimming in it, seeing as she was rather petite and Jesse was a good foot taller than her. It was cozy though, and she appreciated the warmth. "Thanks."

"No problem. Don't want you to get sick again, now do we?" He teased.

"Shut up," she laughed, bumping his elbow with her own. "So, how's Regionals prep going for the Trebles?"

"Good, I think. It's kinda weird without Bumper, but it's good."

"Scared you're gunna get your asses kicked?"

"By you? Never."

"You should be," Beca shrugged. "We're bringing our A-Game."

"Do my ears deceive me, or does Beca Mitchell, scary ear spike wearing Beca Mitchell, actually care about a cappella?"

"No," she shook her head. "You're definitely crazy." Because she couldn't admit that he was right, and she actually did want the Bellas to win, and she did actually like girls (well not Katie), and they were all actually super stoked for the season. Chloe had suggested they got 'Barden Bellas' jackets, and Beca had agreed after a fair amount of bribery. The jackets were blue and said 'Barden Bellas' in yellow on the back, as those were the unofficial colours of the group.

"Whatever you say," Jesse rolled his eyes. "This is your stop, see you tomorrow?"

"I see you like everyday."

"Just making sure. Night, Bec."

"Night." And with that, they went their separate ways, both lost in their own thoughts of each other, and what was to come.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! It's like 9:40pm on December 1****st**** and I'm kind of hoping to have this posted tonight, but we will see. Also, I have dance shows on Wednesday and Thursday, so I'm not sure if I will be able to post those days, and I'm still finishing up catch up work for school, but I'll do the best I can. I'm typing from my tablet, which I hate typing on, but it's too dark to use my laptop right now, so we're just gunna roll with it. Let the drama begin!**

**[LINE BREAK]**

Beca was standing in the bathroom connected to her dorm, blow drying her hair upside down, and needless to say, she wasn't expecting anyone to in the room when she stood up. "Holy shit, what are you doing in here? How did you even get in?"

"Stay away from Jesse," Katie stated, her arms crossed over her chest. "He's mine."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Beca. I know you have a thing for Jesse."

"It's a toner, actually." The brunette joked, recalling her conversation from the previous year with Aubrey.

"What?"

"Never mind, but seriously dude? Do you actually think it's cool to come in here, into my dorm, and tell me to stay away from Jesse? I told you that there's nothing going on between us, and you should respect me enough to believe that, and be done with it." She spoke quickly, trying not to get too passed off, yet trying to get her point across. "And I get that you have some weird ass obsession with him, but relentlessly stalking him is not going to get you anywhere."

"He will be mine, Beca. By regionals, he will be mine, and poor little you will be all by herself."

"Good luck with that one, now please get out of my dorm," Beca rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," And with that, Katie was in the hallway, slamming the Bella Leader's door behind her.

Beca grabbed her phone, sending a text to Chloe, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

**[LINE BREAK]**

"And I look up, and she is standing in my dorm and yelling at me to stay away from Jesse? Like who is she to do that? What a dick move." The brunette ranted to Chloe as they sat under a tree on campus after Beca had sent her a text, asking to meet for coffee.

"She told you to stay away from Jesse? But you and Jesse are like, a thing now, right?"

"No. Well, maybe kind of? We aren't together, he can do whatever, or whoever, he wants."

"But you guys have a thing."

"I literally don't even know what that means."

"Trust me, you do," the ginger smirked. "As for Katie, have you talked to the other girls and let them know what's happening?"

"No, it was just this morning. I texted you right after. I haven't told Jesse yet either, but I don't know if I should. And also, Katie was all 'he'll be mine by regionals.' Like what does that even mean? Last time I checked she was not the one going to his parents' over Christmas."

"You sound a little jealous there, Bec."

"No, no way. I am not jealous.'

"Yeah right, you totally like him."

"No, I don't."

"Yeah, you make out with him regularly because you hate him, and you're meeting his parents, _his parents,_ Beca, because you have no interest in him. How many times did you watch The Breakfat Club, this Summer?"

"We do not make out regularly, it happened like twice. And I don't know, like once," Beca lied easily. So what if she had watched the movie at least seven times. It totally did not mean a thing.

"How many times?" Chloe asked again, crossing her arms.

"Not that many," she mumbled, Jesse waving at her across campus capturing her attention. "Just, like, a few."

"Hey, Million Dollar Baby," he grinned as he approached. "And Chloe, always a pleasure."

"You totally have a thing," she whispered with a smirk. "I was just leaving. Thanks for the coffee, Beca, see you around, Jesse," The ginger grinned, then disappeared into a crowd of students.

"So, uh, Jesse, Katie stopped by this morning."

After explaining the whole Katie situation to Jesse, they had retreated from the cold, early November air into his dorm with a bowl of popcorn and Star Wars. "I'm bored," Beca groaned, rolling onto her back to look up at Jesse, who was sitting up, leaning against the wall.

"How are you bored, this is one of the best movies of all time. Have another juice pouch."

"You can't keep me quiet with juice forever, you know," she informed him, however, she accepted the juice pouch he was handing her. "There are so many other fun things we could be doing right now. I'm sure Katie would love to watch Star Wars with you, though. Maybe I should go find her," she teased, getting up as if she was heading towards the door.

"You wouldn't," he gasped, going along with her little game.

"You can't stop me!" She sprung for the door, but Jesse grabbed her waist, pulling her back to the bed. She was overly aware of how warm his hands felt through the thin material of her shirt. Why was he always so warm? She shivered, and it wasn't because of the cold. "Or maybe you can, Nerd." And with that, she pushed her lips against his, her arms around his neck, his hands warm on her waist.

The kiss ended not too long after it started, with a flurry of wrinkled clothes and swollen lips. "Do you want to maybe go for coffee or something sometime?" the words were out of Jesse's mouth before he could even think about what he was saying, and they were both looking at each other with wide eyes. Beca's instinct to flee kicked in immediatley, but she couldn't. She would not let herself close him out. Not again.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Teehee ;)

[LINE BREAK]  
>"Oh, shit," Jesse mumbled. "Ignore me, forget I said anything, I totally just ruined that moment."<br>"Kind of," Beca nodded, sitting very still, not entirely sure what to do. "How about, instead of going for coffee, we just keep thing whole kissing thing happening, and we can deal with that later?" She suggested.  
>"What are we even doing, Bec?"<br>"I...I don't know," she sighed, running her hands through her hair. "I should go."  
>"No, Beca, wait." But it was too late, she was already gone.<p>

Needless to say, they didn't end up going for coffee. After a few days of awkward eye contact, Beca was sick of it. She missed him, and she kind of liked what they had happening, not that she would admit it. "Jesse?" She knocked on his door one afternoon in November. It felt all too familiar, her coming back and apologizing after running away from what could've been potentially good. She was determined to fix it this time. The door cracked open and an all too familiar blonde's head popped out. It took everything in Beca to not gasp, because that would've been cliche and lame. "Oh, hi Beca! Jesse and I were just watching some movies, can I help you?" Kate smirked.  
>"Um, no, don't worry about it, I'll come back later." She knew she would regret backing down, but she wasn't in the mood two have a bitch fight. Instead she pulled out her phone, two could play this game.<br>[Line Break]  
>"Thanks for calling, Becky, didn't know this was your kinda thing," Luke called to her over the music.<br>"Yeah, it's not, really. Just had a shitty day," she yelled back. They were in a frat house or something, Beca didn't really know, but it was filled with sweaty bodies, loud music, and alcohol.  
>"I'm going to go get something to drink, want anything?" Luke shook his head, so she removed herself from the living room, which had turned mostly into a dance floor, to go find a drink. She grabbed a red solo cup, and the nearest bottle, and filled it half way. Whatever it was, it was strong, and made Beca cringe as she swallowed. Her phone buzzed and she fished it out of her pocket as she tried to find Luke in the crowded house.<p>

**Jesse: Talk?**

She scoffed, taking another sip of her drink. As if she was going to talk to him now. He had been with Katie, of all people. Not Benji, or Donald, or even Stacie. Katie. She said she was going to have him by regionals. Maybe she was.

By around 12:54, Beca was feeling incredibly warm and giggly. "Do you wanna go somewhere a little more private?" Luke suggested with a wink, and she was taken aback. She was not drunk enough to have sex with him.

"Not really," she laughed awkwardly. He didn't even actually know her name, why would she bang him?

"Ah, come on Becky, it'll be fun." This conversation was sobering her up quickly.

"I said no," she shrugged. If he was going to try to rape her, it would be up to Beca to save herself. Everyone else here was too shit-faced to even notice.

"Don't you like me?"

"My name is Beca, just so you know, and I'm dating Jesse." Well shit. She didn't mean to say that.

"Then why isn't he here with you instead of me?"

"He just couldn't make it. I'm going to get him to pick me up, you stay here and have fun." She headed for the door before Luke could make any move to stop her. She shivered as soon as she got into the November air, it was freezing out and she had nothing but her leather jacket. "Jesse?" she asked as soon as he answered his phone, forgetting to be mad at him for just a minute. "I need you to come and get me."

"What the hell are you doing out at one in the morning? Are you crazy? Are you by yourself?"

"I'm with Luke, well, I was with him. Just come get me please, I'll explain in the car. It's freezing out."

"You're outside? Jesus, Beca. I'll be there as soon as I can. Text me the address." And with that he hung up the phone.

[LINE BREAK)

"Here," Jesse said, handing her a sweater as soon as she got into his car.

"Thanks," she mumbled, pulling it over her head.

"Are you okay? How drunk are you? What are you even doing here?" He looked over at her with a frown.

"Why were you hanging out with Katie?" She asked before she could stop herself.

"What?"

"Why were you watching movies with Katie?" She repeated. She felt like she could potentially start crying at any second.

"What are you talking about?" He looked genuinely confused.

"What do you mean what am I talking about? I went to your room this morning to find you, because I wanted to talk to you. She answered the door and said you guys were watching movies, so I left, because I didn't want to interrupt our quality time with Katie. And so I called Luke to go out and then I had a few drinks and then Luke tried to get me to have sex with him and now I'm here,' she hiccupped.

"Bec, I haven't seen Katie all day."

"You don't have to lie for my sake. I don't care."

"I'm not lying."

"Whatever."

"What even is happening right now, Bec? Isn't this exactly what Katie wanted? She wanted you to stay away from me and she knew you wouldn't, so she took matters into her own hands. I swear I wasn't with her, I wouldn't do that to you."

"Promise?"

"I promise." He whispered, leaning over the console to kiss her after turning off the car in the campus parking lot. His hands were in her hair, tangling it together at the nape of her neck. His chest was warm and firm beneath her small hands. She was thankful for the warmth his body radiated, as she was still shivering slightly from being outside in November at one in the morning. "My seat belt is digging into my collarbone, can we take this somewhere else?" Beca whispered between kisses.

"Sure thing, Million Dollar Baby." They hopped out of the car, sprinting into the warmth of Baker Hall and up the stairs to the third floor, where Jesse's room was. When they unlocked the door, they certainly weren't expecting to see a half-naked Katie in bed with Jesse's roommate, Kyler. "Holy shit," Beca laughed, "My room?"

"Your room." He nodded, taking her hand and leading her up the stairs to her dorm. They both knew they wouldn't be getting much sleep that night.

A/N: Here is the real AN because I didn't want to start off with a big long thing. So I have dance shows tomorrow night and Thursday night, so I probably won't be able to write too much, but I will try to get a chapter posted. I have Friday off work as well, so hopefully I can write a lot that night. I'm out like all day Saturday, but should also be able to write Sunday night. That is all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and maybe could review because that makes me smile?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: hey folks, so I have to get ready in about an hour because I have to be at school for the show in two hours, but I figured I'd try and write for a bit first. **

**Just to clarify, Beca and Jesse aren't officially together or anything (yet), she just said that to get Luke off her back. (Also the beginning of the chapter ended up being different then what I thought, but we're just going to roll with it). And just so you know, when I type on my Tablet it often changes **"beca" to "Baca" which is hella annoying, so if you come across that, you know why. Okay, let's go.

[LINE BREAK]

His lips were on her neck, her collarbone, her chest, her stomach, everywhere and nowhere all at once. Her pale skin seemed to be illuminating the dark room, her mouth open, her breath quick. They knew they should've stopped, neither having the self-control to be able to.

The next morning, Beca woke up with something incredibly warm next to her. A person. "Oh shit, please don't be Luke," she mumbled, sitting up. As soon as she saw Jesse, it all came back to her. The party, the car, the sex. Shit. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't leave, seeing as they were in her dorm, but what was she supposed to do when he woke up. Were they supposed to, like, talk about it, or something? She had slept with the person who was basically her best friend. Would it be all awkward again? Would they just have casual sex whenever they felt like it? (That didn't actually sound too bad to Beca). She sighed, grabbing her shower things and heading to the bathroom, not sure what else to do.

The hot water washed over her body, and she let her mind wander. She had sex with Jesse. Everyone had seen that coming at some point, even Beca, but they weren't even dating. Sure, dating Jesse had crossed her mind, and they were kind of together, just without the actual dating or any titles. Nobody tried to make a move on the said pair, either (aside from a drunken Luke and Katie). It didn't freak her out when it was like this. When it was just them making out and watching movies, she could do that. The idea of actually dating, however, kind of terrified her. There was so much pressure in relationships, and there was none of that where they were now. What was she supposed to do if he tried to suggest that they date? She couldn't shut him out again, but she couldn't date him. She was supposed to be meeting his parents in a few weeks, and she would definitely freak out if she had to meet them as his girlfriend.

Beca groaned out loud, turning off the shower, wrapping her robe around her body, her towel holding her hair on the top of her head. When she returned to her room, Jesse was sitting on her bed, wearing his pyjamas he had licked her up in the previous night. "Hey," she greeted casually, not entirely sure what to do or say.

"What did we do last night?" Well that was a blunt approach.

"Well, Jesse, when two people like each other," she stopped herself mid-sentence, realizing what she had just said. "Fuck," Beca muttered, hoping Jesse wouldn't catch on to what she just said, but she could tell by the way his eyes lit up he had, but he didn't comment on it.

"Haha, very funny," he rolled his eyes. "But seriously."

"How about we talk about something else?" She offered, not wanting to get into it. Although it often bugged Jesse how Beca would try to avoid subjects, he'd come to accept it. He knew she would talk about it when she was ready.

"How about you get dressed so we can head to Philosophy?" He grinned, throwing a pillow at her to force her into the bathroom.

[LINE BREAK]

"Who did you fuck?" Fat Amy asked as soon as Beca stepped into Bella rehearsals.

"What?" She asked, eyes widening.

"Who did you sleep with? I know you had sex, I can see it in your eyes."

"That's a really weird thing to say," Beca offered, not wanting to answer the question.

"It was Jesse, wasn't it?" Amy smirked.

"You slept with Jesse? You you, girl!" Stacie grinned at her.

"What the hell, you guys, I'm not answering that."

'Later,' the Aussie mouthed with a wink.

"Alright guys, so the riff off is next week, which means we need to be on our game, if we want to beat the Trebles, which we do," Beca stated, standing in front of the nine other girls, whose company she'd actually come to enjoy, even though they could be annoying. "Last year, I would say we did pretty well, unless you ask Aubrey, so don't do that."

"We would've crushed it last year if they didn't start making up rules," Amy agreed.

"So here's how it works…"

[LINE BREAK]

Beca was sitting under a tree in the quad, bundled up in her jacket and scarf as she tried to figure out finishing touches for the Bellas routine for Regionals, which were quickly approaching as January crept closer and closer. "We're leaving on the 15th if that works for you, to go to my parents, I mean," She hadn't heard Jesse approaching with her headphones on, causing her to jump. "Sorry," he smirked.

"Yeah, the 15th should work," she nodded, shutting her laptop quickly so he couldn't see the screen. "Did you bring me juice?" She ginned as he handed her a juice pouch.

"What are you working on there?" He nodded towards her laptop.

"Sorry, that's confidential information. Bellas only," she shrugged, trying not to laugh.

"Come on, Million Dollar Baby. Let me in on your settling," Jesse teased.

"Yeah right, I'll tell you our set list when you stop watching movies."

"I'm never going to stop watching movies," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Then you're never going to know the set list, sorry Nerd."

"Come on, it's cold out here. Let's get you inside. I'll make hot chocolate and we can watch a movie of your choice."

"Of my choice? Jesse, I'm honoured," she mocked with a laugh, accepting the hand he'd offered her fo help her up.

"Shut up."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: hey guys, it's been like a whole 3 days, and I'm sorry, because I've disgustingly busy and drowning in homework, but whatever. Anyways, I was going to write the riff off and stuff in this chapter but I literally just couldn't because I wanted to write Beca going to Jesse's so bad so... (The beginning of this chapter is shit but it gets better)

[LINE BREAK]

"You're sure you have everything?" Professor Mitchell asked his daughter for the hundredth time.

"Yes dad," Beca rolled her eyes. "Enjoy your free week with the Step Monster."

"Sheila," her dad corrected.

"Step Monster," she shrugged, grabbing her suitcase and laptop case. "I'll be back on the 21st, don't forget, and then I'm going to Mom's for Christmas dinner and staying there for the rest of the break."

"I know, Bec. Now you better get going, you're going to be late. Enjoy your time with Jesse."

"I will, thanks," Beca nodded awkwardly as she left her dorm. As she made her way down the hall, Katie approached. Great.

"Hey, where are you going?" She asked with fake enthusiasm.

"Jesse's parents house," she smirked back.

"Sure you aren't going to freak out?"

"I'm good," Beca rolled her eyes. Why was Katie so invested in ruining her and Jesse?

"Right. Well, I'm just going to come say bye to Jesse." The blonde grinned.

"You do that," the Bella leader rolled her eyes, pushing the door to the dorm building open. Jesse was waiting just outside with a suitcase, bundled up in a jacket and hat.

"Hey, Million Dollar Baby," he grinned at Beca.

"Hi, Jesse," Katie smirked, running up to him.

"Wasn't actually talking to you, but hi Katie. Ready to go, Bec?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she shrugged as the Treble wrapped his arm tightly around her. They had become more touchy with each other after that night, and they were both fine with it. They'd also been teasing each other more often, and it had turned kind of into a game. "So are you guys, like, together now?"

"Not really," Jesse shrugged. That technically was the answer, as neither of them had asked the other out, but everybody knew they were off limits.

"Okay, bye then," Katie giggled, moving to kiss his cheek.

"Whoa, okay, hold up. We're going to be late, so if you don't mind, we've got to go. Merry Christmas," Beca interjected, pulling Jesse towards his car.

"What was that all about?" He smirked, "are you jealous?"

"Of course not," she scoffed, "I just don't like her."

"Yeah, right," he rolled his eyes, "let's go."

[LINE BREAK]

Beca didn't know why she was so nervous as they pulled up to Jesse's parents' house. It wasn't like she had to impress them and make them think that she was the best girlfriend ever, because she wasn't his girlfriend, but they probably had such high expectations for who their son brought home. She knew she didn't come off as particularly warm, or the bring-home-to-meet-the-family type, like who she would assume Jesse had introduced them to before. And what was he going to say? 'Mom, dad, this is Beca, my friend with benefits because she has commitment issues'? That didn't sound like it would go down too well.

Beca did want to be in a relationship with him, which was why this was making her so nervous. She wanted to tell him that she really, really liked him (maybe even loved him), but she was scared. What if he didn't like her back, or rejected her, or dumped her as soon as something better came along? What if he realized that Katie was way prettier than she was and left her as soon as they got back to Barden. She didn't know what she would do with herself. "You ready?" Jesse's voice broke her out of her thoughts as he pulled the keys out of the ignition.

"Um, yeah. Let's do this," she nodded, climbing out of the car. The driveway was icy, and she almost slipped once or twice, but he was right beside her to hold her up. He only had to knock once before the door was open and two smiling faces greeted them, engulfing the boy in a hug. "Hey guys," Jesse grinned, pulling awkwardly away from his parents' embrace. "This is my, um, this is Beca."

"How lovely to finally meet you! I'm Laurel," his mom hugged her tightly, leaving Beca slightly taken aback.

"I'm Mike," his dad nodded.

"It's really nice to meet you both," she smiled, leaning slightly into Jesse.

"Jesse!" The sound of bare feet pattering down the hallway was evident as a small boy, no older than five or six, came running into the foyer.

"Hey kiddo," he grinned, scooping up the young boy. "This is Beca."

"I'm Ryan!"

"Hi, Ryan," she grinned.

"You're girlfriend is pretty," Ryan smiled.

"Thank you," the Treblemaker grinned. There was no point in trying to explain to the kid that they weren't actually dating. "Where's Syd?" He asked, referring to his 16 year old sister.

"She's out with some friends right now, she'll be back for dinner. Why don't you to go get settled, and then come back down in a bit an we can get to know Beca a bit better?" Laurel suggested, as they were still standing in the doorway.

"Sounds good. It's just this way, Bec," he lead her up the stairs with a hand on her back. "We don't actually have a guest room, so you're going to be stuck with me for the week, if that's okay with you."

"I guess if I absolutely have to," she mocked with a sigh, entering the room.

It was all very Jesse. The walls were blue and there were movie posters scattered amongst them. The floor was hard wood and there was an ensuite bathroom. In one corner there was stacks upon stacks of CDs and DVDs, along with a desk, where his laptop normally sat. "Not too shabby," she nodded, setting her suitcase on the bed.

"Thanks," he laughed. "So yeah, basically there's a bathroom there, desk, movies, pretty simple. I can show you around after, if you want."

"Yeah, that would be great. I'm just going to go change, I look like I've been in a car for six hours." She rooted through her suitcase, finding a black t-shirt and red and black plaid skirt that would be suitable for dinner.

"Hey, Bec?" Jesse stopped her before she could make it to the washroom to change, grabbing her wrist and pulling her closer.. "Thanks for coming, it means a lot."

"It was no problem," she looked up at him, hugging her arms around his shoulders, kissing him softly. His lips were warm as they moved against hers, as always.

"Knock, knock," Laurel called as she opened the door to Jesse's room and the pair pulled away quickly. Beca moved to pick her top and skirt she had yet to change into off of the floor. "I'm just going to go get your sister from the mall, dinner will be around six," she smiled.

"Thanks, mom," he smiled at her as she exited the room once again.

"I'm just going to go," Beca trailed off awkwardly, pointing at the bathroom.

"Yeah, yeah, go for it."

She emerged slightly after, her make up and hair fixed and outfit changed.

"Well don't you look nice," Jesse grinned at her.

"Why thank you, Nerd."

[LINE BREAK]

As they all say around the table for dinner, Beca couldn't help but wonder why her family wasn't like this. Sydney, Jesse's sister, was just as nice as the rest of them, and they were all so happy. They weren't yelling at each other, or speaking over one another, and they were generally interested in what she was saying. "So, yeah, we kind of did kick the Trebles' butts at the riff-off," she laughed with a shrug as Jesse glared at her.

"We beat you last year."

"That totally doesn't count," Beca argued.

"And why not?"

"Because that wasn't even a rule. Just accept it, Nerd, we're better than you." Jesse rolled his eyes but didn't fight back.

"You're enjoying the Bellas though, Beca?" Laurel asked, trying not to laugh at the pair's bickering. They were like an old married couple.

"Yeah, they're a really great group of girls." Well, except for Katie, but she figured it'd be best she didn't bring that up.

"Thank you for dinner, Mrs Swanson, it was great," Beca smiled at Jesse's mom as she helped bring dishes into the kitchen.

"Oh, my pleasure Dear, and please, call me Laurel. I'm glad you and Jess could come spend the weekend with us! He talks so highly of you, we just had to meet you for ourselves." Beca blushed at her feet, smoothing her skirt.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked.

"Don't worry about it, Dear, go find Jesse." She padded quietly out of the kitchen, the hardwood floor cold on her feet, only covered by the material of her socks. She found Jesse and his family piled in the living room, watching Toy Story, and there were no seats left. "Hey Million Dollar Baby," Jesse greeted with a grin, "come sit."

"Jesse, that's a chair. A chair is meant for one person."

"Then I guess you'll just have to sit here," he shrugged with a smirk, pulling the small brunette into his lap. She rolled her eyes and glared at him, but who was to say she couldn't have some fun with this.

"This isn't comfortable," she muttered, continuously shifting and wiggling in his lap. Jesse realizing exactly what she was trying to do. Now was definitely not the time for her to be teasing him.

"Beca," he whispered warningly. "Beca, stop." She just winked at him in response. His hands found her hips, trying to keep her from moving, but to no avail. "Beca Mitchell, I swear to god, you need to stop." His cheeks were becoming redder as he got more flustered. He cleared his throat, standing up and bringing Beca with him. "I need to talk to Beca for a minute, we will be back," he groaned, leading her quickly up the stairs. "God dammit, Beca." As soon as the door was shut, Jesse's hands were on her waist, her back against the door, his lips against hers. "You might want to take a cold shower for that," she mumbled into the kiss. She could feel the definition in his chest where her hands sat through the thin material of his shirt. His skin was warm and tan, contrasting greatly with her paleness.

The next thing Beca knew, neither of them were wearing shirts. His mouth was on her neck, biting and kissing and sucking, causing her to moan quietly. Unfortunately, there was a knocking at Jesse's door. Their eyes widened as they looked at each other, and he waved her towards the bathroom. "Yeah?" Jesse called, trying, and most likely failing, to look like he hadn't just been making out with the girl who wasn't technically, but basically was his girlfriend. "There's popcorn downstairs if you guys want. Where's Beca?" His dad asked, popping his head in the door.

"Oh, she just, um, getting changed. Pajamas, and then movies. We'll be down in a minute."

"Alright," he nodded, closing the door.

"Safe?" Beca whispered, emerging from the bathroom.

"Safe," he mumbled, pressing his lips back to hers.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: (if you ignore how filler-ish a majority of this chapter is, the ending is important) (also don't forget to review and all that jazz) ;)

[LINE BREAK]

"Beca and Jesse are making out in his room," Mike told his wife as he came downstairs.

"I know," Laurel smiled softly.

"You know? How do you think Beca's parents would feel if they knew that?"

"Let them be, Mike. They live on their own, we don't know what they do at Barden. They'll be safe. And, of course I know. I knew the moment they walked in the door. Did you see the way he looked at her? They make each other happy, and it's not our place to ruin that."

[LINE BREAK]

"What the fuck?" Beca mumbled as she woke up, not remembering where she was. It came back to her as she rubbed her eyes, the blue walls covered in movie posters jogging her memory, as well as Jesse, who was digging through one of his drawers for a shirt. "Hey, Million Dollar Baby," he grinned at her.

"Morning," she smiled back sleepily, twisting her hair into a bun. They hadn't actually done anything last night, as Jesse's parents were right down the hall, but it was a close call.

"I was thinking we could grab some breakfast maybe? And then I could show you around town."

"That sounds nice," she nodded. "I'll go get ready."

About half an hour later, they were tucked into a booth a diner in the middle of Jesse's little town. "Do you miss it here when we're at school?" Beca asked, taking a sip of her coffee as they waited for food.

"Sometimes," he shrugged. "But I have other things to distract me," he winked at her.

"You're such a nerd," she laughed, nudging his leg with her foot under the table. She was about to speak again when another voice was heard from across the diner. "Swanson?" A guy with blond hair and a friendly looking face smiled, approaching the table.

"Hey man," the Treblemaker grinned back at him, slipping out of the booth the greet him with a man hug. They were obviously old friends from school, and Beca tried to remember if Jesse had ever mentioned anyone from school or anything.

"And who would this fine lady be?" Asked the unnamed friend, and it took a lot of willpower for her not to scoff at 'fine lady.' She most certainly was not ladylike.

"I'm Beca," she smiled awkwardly, kind of uncomfortable.

"Nice to meet you, Beca. I'm Spencer," the blond boy smiled. "Jesse and I were in English together last year.

"It's nice to meet you, too, she nodded, sipping her coffee again. Jesse had thankfully sat down again, and was knocking his ankle against hers under the table to provide some sense of comfort.

"I'll leave you two be, but just so you know, I'm having a party tonight, so if you two wanna swing by, you know where to find me."

"Thanks man, maybe we will. See you around." Once he was out of earshot, Jesse turned back to Beca. "We totally don't have to go if you don't want to. Spence can be kind of a douche sometimes."

"If you want to go, we totally can. If you want to see your friends or whatever it's cool," she shrugged.

"You sure?" He asked, knowing that it probably wasn't really the Bella's thing.

"Yeah," she nodded as their waiter appeared with their food. "It's up to you."

[LINE BREAK]

"There's an ice rink just down that way," Jesse explained, pointing down a road as they wandered around his town. "The movie theatre is right there. I'm on a first name basis with the entire staff, so that's pretty cool," he chuckled as Beca rolled her eyes.

"You're such a nerd."

"The music store is there, and there's like five cafes on this block, because that one," he pointed at a little yellow and red building, "is everyone's favourite. It's always busy because they have the world's best macaroni."

"The world's best?" She teased.

"Definitely."

"Well I guess I'm just going to have to come visit again to try it." To be honest, Beca had been enjoying her time with Jesse. It was cool to see him in his town and around his family. He was so good with his little brother and it might of warmed her heart a little bit. Just a little bit.

"I'm totally down with that," he laughed. "C'mon, let's go go back home."

Later that night, they were walking through the cold air to get into Spencer's house for the party. The music was loud and Beca could feel it pulsating through her body. Jesse squeezed her hand in a sense of comfort as they entered the crowded house. "If we lose each other, meet back here, okay?" He asked, pointing at the bottom of the staircase.

"Sure," she agreed as her phone buzzed in her pocket.

From Katie:

Game on, Bitch

The small brunette frowned at her phone before shoving it back in the back pocket of her black skinny jeans. Now was totally not the time to be worrying about Katie.

Various people were stopping to greet Jesse and he held Beca close to his side, worried about the party scene. He knew some of the guys here wouldn't take no for an answer if they wanted to try something. There was a bad feeling settled in his stomach, and he was beginning to regret even coming. "You okay?" She asked him as his hand when from sitting on the small of her back to wrapping around her waist. He smiled softly at her, nodding, as a buff looking, raven haired man approached. "Jesse," he nodded in greeting. "who's the pretty lady?"

""Fin, nice to see you. This is Beca." She could tell there was something off between the pair but she couldn't place a finger on what.

"Well, Beca, maybe when you're bored of this loser, you can come find me and we'll have some fun." He winked as his eyes lingered on her chest.

"Fuck off," Beca smiled as she spoke.

A few hours later, Jesse and Beca were perched on a couch in the living roon with red Solo cups in their hands, although neither of them were actually drinking. "What the hell is Katie doing here?" She asked as she saw the blonde sauntering towards the pair.

"Hey, guys," she grinned, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"Um, hey," Jesse frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, just visiting some friends before the holidays," she giggled.

"Hey, Fin?" Beca called over the music, seeing the black haired guy standing not to far away. "Come meet our friend, Katie."

[LINE BREAK]

"I hate her so much," Beca ranted as she paced around Jesse's bedroom late that night.

"Why? I mean I don't like her either, but why?" He asked.

"She's like, all over you! Like have you heard of personal space? She told me I had to stay away from you," she scoffed.

"Bec, are you jealous?"

"No," she answered immediately, then faltered slightly. "Maybe."

"You have no reason to be. She means nothing to me, Beca. For me, it's always been you." He stood up, embracing the petite girl, holding her close.

"I know, I'm sorry," she mumbled, trying not to cry.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay," he soothed, rubbing his hand up and down her back.

"Jesse," she breathed out. "I love you."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: HEY DID YOU LIKE THE END OF THE LAST CHAPTER I HOPE YOU DID BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ONLY LINE I LIKED AND THE REST OF THE CHAPTER WAS SHIT! (Ps they're basically together now. Like more together than they were before they're an unspoken couple okay) anyways...

[LINE BREAK]

He'd been waiting to hear that for so long, and he was overwhelmed by so much love for the girl who looked so fragile in that moment, standing in front of him. He knew how much effort it would've taken her to say that, for her to work herself up to the point where she could say that and not run.  
>She was scared, though. As soon as the words left her mouth, panic surged through her veins. She hadn't intended on saying it, but she knew it was true. She did love him, very much.<br>He loved her, too, and had been wanting to tell her, but didn't want to freak her out, so he had waited. But now, he could. "I love you, too, Beca. So much." There were still tears running down her cheeks, but she couldn't tell what they were from. She just held Jesse closer as his thumb brushed under her eyes softly, wiping away the tears. "So, so much," he whispered, hugging her tightly and kissing the top of her head. "We need to get some sleep, Million Dollar Baby," he whispered, although he really just wanted to stay in that moment forever. "It's late."  
>"Okay," Beca nodded, wiping her eyes one last time. Before he could go to find some pajama pants, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his. This kiss was different than their others. It was so much softer and it seemed as though she could feel the love radiating between them. It felt good to have told him how she felt about him. She knew he was happy, she could see it, and she was happy, too. Probably happier than she had been in a while, actually. Hearing him say that he loved her, too, was incredible. It wasn't that she doubted he did, because, to be honest, she knew he did, but it made her feel so safe and warm. She obviously wouldn't tell him that though, because even though she was having mushy thoughts, she was still bad-ass Beca, although maybe her heart had grown three sizes. Or, at least had grown for a stupid Nerd who liked movies and supplied juice pouches.<br>Although tired, neither Jesse nor Beca were anywhere close to being able to fall asleep as they laid in bed. She was all too aware of how she could feel the muscles in his chest and stomach against her back and how his arm was wrapped securely around her waist as she watched the minutes go by on the clock. It was reaching two in the morning. He pressed a kiss to the back of her head, and she rolled over to face him. "I can't sleep," she whispered.  
>"I know, me neither," he whispered back. She pressed her hands against his chest, feeling the smooth definition of his tan skin as his thumbs drew soft circles on her hip bones. His lips brushed her forehead, and she closed her eyes, snuggling closer to him, their legs tangling together. His eyes were heavy, but he didn't want to sleep until he knew she was okay. "G'night," she mumbled sleepily.<br>"Night, Bec."

[LINE BREAK]

Beca was sad she only had two more days with Jesse. She was really enjoying the Swansons, they were all so warm and comforting. "I have an announcement," Sydney informed everyone as they all sat around eating breakfast.  
>"And what would that be?" Mike chuckled at his daughter as he reached for the syrup.<br>"I have a boyfriend. His name is Nick."  
>"You have a what?" Jesse laughed.<br>"Shut up," she tossed a Cheerio at him. "He's really great. Is it okay if he comes over for dinner tonight?"  
>"But we're doing our Christmas with Beca tonight," Laurel reminded. Beca was flattered by the fact that they wanted to include her in their Christmas festivities, to the point where Laurel wanted to cook an early Christmas dinner just so she can be involved. She and Jesse were exchanging gifts as well, tonight, which she was actually kind of excited about. She had made him a mix CD with a bunch of songs from movie soundtracks she knew he liked, along with a few random tracks she came across that made her think of him.<br>"It's okay," the brunette shrugged. "If she wants to invite her boyfriend it doesn't matter to me, as long as it's okay with you guys, of course."  
>"Alright then, go ahead and call him. There's going to be extra food anyways," Jesse's mom nodded, wiping her mouth with a napkin, as her daughter disappeared from the kitchen. "So, you two, how was the party last night? I didn't hear you guys come home."<br>"Oh, it was alright, nothing too exciting. It was late when we got back, and we didn't want to wake you guys up," Jesse told them. The two had decided to keep the whole 'I love you' thing on the down low, while they sorted everything out. And by sorted everything out, they meant actually tried to do the whole dating thing, which they supposed was really no different than what they were doing now, but more touchy-feely.  
>"Did you have fun?"<br>"It wasn't particularly fun, but I think we were both just tired," he shrugged. "I think today we're going to go meet up with Patrick and the others in a bit, they want to meet the infamous Beca."  
>"You told your friends about me, Nerd?" she chuckled, although she was really just trying not to blush as she brought her plate to the sink, thanking Laurel for breakfast.<br>"Of course I did," he informed her, following her up the stairs to his room.  
>"I'm going to go have a quick shower, and then I'll be good to go out."<br>"Sounds good."

"Where exactly is this park, again?" Beca asked after it felt like they had been walking for quite a long time. They were meeting Jesse's friends from high school at a park, although when he had told her park, she didn't know he meant a school park, complete with swings and a slide. "It's right there," he pointed at an elementary school with an old looking wooden playground. She didn't protest as Jesse laced his cold fingers through her own, swinging their hands between them. "They're going to love you," he told her, giving her hand a squeeze. He could tell by the look on her face that she was unsure about the situation. She smiled softly up at him and leaned into his side. "That's them, on the swings," he pointed at a cluster of four people who appeared to be laughing at something they said. "Hey guys," Jesse greeted, wrapping an arm around Beca's waist as the approached.  
>"Jesse!" They were all more than excited to see the Treblemaker, hugs and smiles coming from all around.<br>"You must be Beca," a girl with blonde hair and glasses smiled warmly. "I'm Marlie! It's so nice to finally meet you. Jesse literally never shuts up about you."  
>"It's nice to meet you, too!" Beca smiled back. She could do this. They all seemed like nice people, although she supposed they would be if they were friends with Jesse. The others were introduced to her as Patrick, who reminded Beca sufficiently of Benji, and was dating Marlie, Jordan, a girl with fiery red curls and a face full of freckles, and Adam, who had kind of shaggy brown hair, and who she could tell he was head over heels for Jordan.<br>They were all very nice people, who talked passionately about everything the spoke of, and it was amazing for Beca to watch how well he clicked with the group. "So, Beca," Jordan started, "Jesse's told you about his weird thing for movies, right?" The Bella couldn't help but laugh.  
>"The number of times I've seen The Breakfast Club because of him is ridiculous."<br>"That's such a lie," Jesse argued. "Tell us, Million Dollar Baby, how many times did you watch that on your own over the summer?" he teased.  
>"Not even that many," she insisted, as Adam asked "Million Dollar Baby?"<br>"Yeah, one time I went to pick her up at the police station and made a Hilary Swank reference, and her two hours in jail gave her a really shitty attitude, and long story short, it's now just Million Dollar Baby,"  
>"Jesse, you didn't tell us your girlfriend was a criminal," Jordan laughed teasingly.<br>"Yeah, well I mean one of us has to be the bad ass in this relationship," Beca shrugged, tensing slightly when she realized that she just said the two of them were in a relationship and that Jordan had just called her his girlfriend, but that was the situation, or at least she assumed it was. She'd told him she loved him, and he'd said it back, so she was pretty sure that kind of confirmed things, and she was okay with that.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I'm sorry it's been so long! Life caught up on me and it's been kind of crazy lately. I hope you all had a super duper wonderful christmas! I did (but I'm sad it's over)

[LINE BREAK]

"I'll get it," Sydney leapt off the couch as soon as the door bell rang. The Swansons, plus Beca, were sitting in the living room watching one of those ABC Family Christmas movies that were bad in a really good, cute way. Jesse was scowling slightly at the TV. "Hey," Beca whispered, placing a hand on his chest. "What's wrong?"

"She's sixteen, what does she need a boyfriend for," he grumbled, causing the girl curled into his side to laugh.

"Jesse, don't be like that. She's old enough to make her own decisions, and he's most likely lovely." He didn't respond, just discretely pressed a kiss to her hair as they got up to go to the door. "Hey man, I'm Jesse," he greeted, shaking Nick's hand, who stood in the door way with dirty blonde hair and a leather jacket.

"I'm Beca," she smiled. She wondered if she looked at Jesse the way Sydney was looking at Nick, because just by looking at her, she could tell the younger girl really liked him. It was actually really adorable, not that she would admit that she thought so.

"Nice to meet you both," the boy smiled nervously as Laurel and Mike rounded the corner. The interaction between them was similar to when Beca first arrived, although Mike seemed a bit more wary, which made sense as his only daughter had just brought a boy home.

The Bella felt a slight tugging on her hand and looked down. Ryan was smiling up at her, holding his arms up, signalling that he wanted to be picked up. "Hey, little dude," she grinned, resting him on her hip.

"Hi! It's almost Christmas!"

"It is," Beca agreed. "What did you ask Santa for?" Jesse caught her eye and smiled as the youngest Swanson rambled on about Legos and bikes. "That's so cool," she told him enthusiastically.

"What did you ask for?" He asked her as the group made their way back to the living room so Laurel could finish dinner and Mike could most likely interrogate Nick.

"Oh," Beca thought for a moment, "you know what, I didn't really make a Christmas list this year. I have pretty much everything I need," she told him, and Jesse smiled at her again, resting his hand on her leg as the sat together on the love seat, Ryan on her lap.

"Jesse got you a present," he informed her, pointing under the Christmas tree.

"Did he?" She gasped, pretending to be surprised. She and Jesse were exchanging gifts tonight.

"Yeah! I helped him wrap it."

"Wow! That's impressive."

"I'll be back," the five year old said defiantly, climbing down off her lap and running down the hall. "You're really good with him," Jesse told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"He's pretty cute," she shrugged. "Probably the cutest out of all of you," she mocked.

"Whatever, you loser." He scoffed, pretending to be mad, turning back to the TV.

A few minutes later, Laurel floated into the room, announcing that dinner was ready. Beca loved how the entire Swanson clan was excited about Christmas and there was warmth and love in the air. It made her wish that her family was like that, although it obviously couldn't. Her parents were divorced, and although her relationship with her dad was mostly, kind of mended, his new wife, Sheila, was still a total bitch. Beca and her mom, Shannon, had a pretty good relationship. Her mom had a boyfriend named Austin, and they seemed to make each other happy, which made her more okay with the situation. "Thank you so much for doing this. It was totally unnecessary, but I appreciate it," she smiled at Laurel, and Jesse squeezed her hand under the table.

"It was no problem, dear. It was like we already knew you with Jesse talking about you so much," Laurel said, receiving a laugh from Beca and an eye roll from Jesse.

"Shut up," he chuckled.

Dinner consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, stuffing, and carrots, and all of it was delicious. After they had helped clean up, everyone was in the living room, playing Xbox. Jesse, of course, had insisted that they play some singing game, which the entire Swanson family was super competitive about. "Yes, I kicked your butt!" Laurel shouted, jabbing a finger at her husband. "Whose up next?"

"Me," the Treblemaker sprung off the couch. "And Beca."

"Woah, no way, Dude. Absolutely not," she shook her head.

"Come on Million Dollar Baby, it'll be fun."

"No. I'm not singing," she shoved herself as far back into the corner of the couch as she could as Jesse tried to pull her off by her feet.

"Just once? Please?" He pouted.

"Sing, Beca!" Ryan cheered, tugging at her arm.

"Fine. One song," she sighed getting up. "Fuck you," she mumbled to Jesse, taking one of the microphone things from his hand.

"Later," he winked, and she quickly covered her dropping jaw by coughing, hoping no one else had heard. The cheeky little shit. "We're singing this one," he stated, clicking on All I Want For Christmas Is You.

"Really, Nerd?"

"Really."

The game ended up being more fun than Beca had expected, not that she would admit it out loud, and she ended up singing several rounds, the competition between her and Jesse growing each time. "I totally just kicked your ass," she laughed as the two of them retreated to Jesse's room to exchange gifts.

"What are you talking about? I killed you at the Taylor Swift song," he chuckled.

"Yeah, Jess, it's really great to be proud that you sang You Belong With Me better than I did," she scoffed, sitting cross legged on his bed.

"I am," he grinned at her, walking over to his desk and grabbing a box wrapped in silver paper. "Here," he handed it to her.

"No, I want you to open mine first," Beca told him, grabbing her present for him off the bed next to her. It wasn't anything too intense or special, but she hoped he would like it. She watched as his smile grew while he unwrapped it, realizing what it was. "You made me a mixtape?" He grinned at her.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "It's just, like, songs from movies that I know you like and random other stuff that made me think of you."

"Thank you, Bec, I love it," he hugged her tightly, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

"No problem," she blushed, running a hand through her hair.

"Your turn," Jesse insisted, shoving a wrapped box into her hands. Beca carefully pulled the reindeer covered wrapping paper off, revealing seasons 1-3 of Grey's Anatomy and a gift card to the music store just off of campus. "That show has one of the best sound tracks ever, so, um, yeah," he trailed off awkwardly. "If you don't like it, that's cool." He didn't know why he was suddenly doubting his gift, but he was.

"Jesse, it's great. Thank you."

"Really?"

"Really," she kissed him quickly, "I love it."


	12. AN

Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know I am still trying to write this story, but things are getting crazy again with back to school and stuff, and even my Christmas break was really busy but I'm trying :)

Also, I had inspiration for another Jeca story (it's kinda au as they aren't at Barden when they meet and stuff idk we'll see if it actually works) that I really want to start working on and post to see how you all feel about it, so there's a possibility this might go on hold for a little bit. (Please don't hate me)

Love you all, and thanks for reading :)

- .run


	13. Chapter 12

A/N:** IM BACK AND SO SORRY IT'S BEEN OVER A MONTH. My life has been kind of crazy (my brother has been really sick and in and out of the hospital since the last week of November) but I've been trying to write this, and am now back in the swing of things hopefully so I hope you like this chapter and please don't hate me :)**

[LINEBREAK]

"You're good?" Jesse asked as they stood in Shannon and Austin's (aka Beca's mom's and boyfriend's) doorway. Plans had changed, and she'd ended up having to go straight from the Swansons' to her mom's, but she didn't mind. She would rather be at her mom's then with the Step-Monster and her dad.

"Yeah," Beca nodded. "I know you'll miss me desperately, but try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone, okay?"

"I can't make any promises," he chuckled, "but I will call you to make sure you haven't killed anyone yet."

"I'll try my best not to," she grinned. "I'm going to miss you."

"Hey, it's only a for a bit, you'll be alright. But I'm going to miss you, too," he smiled, kissing her. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she smiled softly at him. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Bec." Jesse wrapped his arm around her as they waited for someone to open the door.

They'd opted to say their goodbyes before they had to see Beca's family, knowing her mom would be embarrassing about it. "Beca," Shannon grinned happily as she opened the door.

"Hi, Mom," she smiled back as she was pulled into a hug.

"And you must be Jesse," she grinned at him as well. She looked a lot like Beca, only about twenty five years older. They had the same eyes.

"Nice to meet you," he shook her hand as Austin appeared.

"Hey Austin," Beca nodded, stepping into the foyer, Jesse right behind her.

"Hey, kid. How've you been?" Austin had been around for a good part of Beca's life and felt more dad-ish to her than Professor Mitchell did.

"Good! Been keeping mom out of trouble?"

"You know it," he chuckled. "Who's this?"

"Oh, right. Jesse, this is Austin. Austin, Jesse."

"Nice to meet you, man," the older man shook his hand.

"You, too." Jesse grinned.

"Can you stay for a bit, or do you have to get going?" Shannon asked as Beca took off her shoes and shoved Jesse her suitcase towards the stairs.

"Will you stay for a few minutes? I want to show you my ro - the house," the Bella winked at him after cutting herself off. She knew her mom wouldn't really care but it was still awkward.

"I'm sure my mom won't mind if I'm a few minutes late," he laughed, slipping off his shoes and following the small girl up the stairs.

It was strange being in her childhood home, for the both of them. For her, it had felt like forever since she's been there, and the creaky, worn, wooden floors were so comforting. For him, it was strange to be where she grew up. "This is my room," she smirked, tugging his hand and shutting the door quietly behind them. It was a light, purple-ish colour and there was black and white bedding covering her mattress. There were some band posters scattered along the walls, a full length mirror perched in a corner, and a shelf of make up and books. It was all very Beca. "But that's not important," and with that, she pressed her lips to his. His hand was on the side of her face, his thumb rubbing softly against her cheek, her arms wrapped loosely around his neck. "Don't go," she mumbled as his lips trailed down her neck and across her collarbone.

"I wish I didn't have to," he whispered to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist, holding her close. His chin rested on top of her head. It seemed strange he was going to go a week without seeing her. It was different over the summer, because now, there was the kissing and the touching and the whole 'I love you' thing, and he craved that. The closeness to her, he needed it. "I love you," she whispered again, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

"I love you, too, Bec."

[LINE BREAK]

Beca was curled on the couch under a blanket, watching Grey's Anatomy by herself. Her mom and Austin were going out to dinner, and so she had ordered herself a pizza, and made herself comfortable in the living room. She had to admit, she was quite enjoying McDreamy, and McSteamy, and also Alex Karev. He was pretty bad ass.

_To: Jesse_

_From: Beca_

_I'm leaving you for Sloan_. _Or maybe Karev. Maybe_ _both, haven't decided yet._

She texted him, chuckling to herself as she grabbed another slice of pizza.

_To: Beca_

_From: Jesse_

_Haha :( _

_To: Jesse_

_From: Beca_

_Don't worry you can come to the_ _wedding_.

She missed Jesse. She'd been away from him for less than a week, and she missed him way more than she would ever admit to missing him. They'd been texting, and had talked on the phone for a few minutes before the thought of long distance charges came to mind, but it wasn't the same as being able to see him and tough him and watch movies with him.

When Shannon and Austin returned home, Beca could tell something was up. They looked all glow-y and happy, so they'd either had sex in the car, or something actually exciting had happened. "Hey Bec?" Her mom called, entering the living room where the Bella was finishing up the first season on Greys.

"Yeah?"

"I, well, we have something to tell you," Shannon said, perching on the end of the couch.

"Okay," she nodded. Her mom looked so excited.

"Austin proposed, and I said yes."

"Mom," Beca gasped, smiling. "That's so great! I'm so happy for you, for both of you." And she was happy for them. Austin had been in her mom's life for such a long time and he made her happy, so Beca had seen it coming eventually.

"Thanks, honey. We're really happy."

"You should be, mom. You deserve it."

[LINEBREAK]

"So," Beca's mom started with a grin. It was December 27th, two days after Christmas. "What's the deal with you and Jesse?"

"I don't know what you mean," Beca laughed slightly, touching her nose with her sleeve to try and cover her smile.

"Beca, I'm your mother. I know you well enough to know that there's something going on with you two."

"Yeah, um, yeah, that's happening."

"Was it happening last April?" Shannon chuckled.

"No, just relatively recently. Officially, anyways."

"Tell me about him," she pressed.

"He's really lame, and likes movies. Loves movies, actually," Beca started, trying to figure out what exactly to say. "The Breakfast Club is one of his favourites,"

"Did that have anything to do with the Bellas performance at the ICCAs?" Her mom cut her off, putting things together.

"No," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "That was entirely coincidental."

"Haha, explain."

"Explain what? He was mad at me because I kept pushing him away and was a total dick, and I felt bad."

"So you serenaded him, and then made out with him on TV."

"I did not serenade him," she scoffed again, knowing that that was exactly what she did. "That's beside the point. He's just a nerd, who some how made me love him, with his stupid movications and juice pouches."

"You love him?" Her mom asked, smiling softly.

"Yeah, it's not a big deal," she shrugged, but they both knew that it was for her.

"Awe, Bec. I'd love to meet him officially. Can we arrange a day when me and Austin come down to Barden and we can all go for dinner somewhere?"

"Um, sure, yeah. That could be nice. Thanks, mom."


End file.
